Catcher&#39;s mitt



June 22,1954 w. T. TOMPKINS CATCHERS MITT Filed May 29, 1951 R o T N E V m A firlllliiilailillo lllllullllnllnllll: f;

ATTORNEYS Patented June 22, 1954 CATCHERS MITT Walter T. Tompkins, Nocona, Tex., assignor to N ocona Leather Good a corporation of Tex s Company, Nocona, Tex., as

Application May'29, 1951, Serial No. 228,952

2 Claims.

This invention relates to baseball gloves, and more particularly, to improved means for positioning and retaining in position the padding used in baseball gloves in a manner which permits the padding to be quickly and easily replaced when such replacement becomes necessary.

As commonly known, a baseball catchers mitt is generally provided with relatively heavy padding to protect the hand of the catcher against the force of repeated heavy impacts of a baseball with the mitt. The effectiveness of the mitt in absorbing the force of the caught ball is dependent to a large extent on the padding used in the glove being sufiiciently heavy and resilient, and'on the padding being correctly positioned within the glove. The repeated impacts of the ball with the glove cause the padding to compact, and also cause the padding to spread out within the glove unless means are provided to retain the padding in its proper position. Preferably, such padding positioning and retaining means are constructed so that the padding may be quickly and easily replaced when such replacement ultimately becomes necessary.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved padding retaining and positioning means for a baseball glove, particularly for catchers mitt type of gloves, which permits quick, easy replacement of the padding when such replacement is necessary, and at the same time provides additional protection for the hand of one wearing the glove.

One embodiment of the invention in a catchers mitt type of baseball glove is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be apparent that the invention may be employed in other types of baseball gloves. The illustration in the drawings is particularized, and the following description thereof detailed for the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention, and it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention except as set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a glove embodying the instant invention looking down on the palm of the glove, the central portion of the palm piece and an inner lining being broken away to illustrate the relationship of the padding to the padding retaining means.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a partial section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 2, it may be seen that a baseball glove constructed according to this invention may comprise a palm piece I!) which constitutes the ball receiving face of the glove and an inner palm lining II which on. its lower side engages the palm of the hand of one wearing the glove. Intermediate the palm piece and the inner palm lining 2, padding element indicated generally at i 2 is interposed to provide protection to the hand of one wearing the glove against the force of balls which are caught in the centrally positioned pocket in the palm piece II].

This invention is principally concerned with the construction of the padding element I2, and this element will be more fully described hereinafter. The glove also includes the customary hand backing piece l4 which is configured similarly to the outline of the hand, and which is secured to the inner palm lining H to provide the hand receiving cavity of the glove.

The padding element l2 consists of two inner lining sheet members i6, is which are in outline shaped similarly to the inner palm piece H, and which are substantially coextensive therewith. The central portion of the sheet members I6, I8, which underlie the pocket formed in the palm piece Ill, rest in contact with each other, and are thus secured by the seams of stitching 20, 22 seen best in Figures 1 and 2.

Padding rolls 24, 26 are interposed between the sheet members It, I8 along the opposite marginal edges thereof, so that the roll 24 overlies the heel of the glove and extends generally linearly into the thumb portion thereof, and the roll 26 is positioned transversely across the finger portion of the glove. Along the heel of the glove, and the top thereof, the sheet member 18 is secured to the corresponding edges of the in ner palm piece H as at 28, 30 respectively. Both edges of the secured together members H and I 8, and the edge of the member l6, are provided with a series of spaced apart eyelets 32, 34 respectively. A leather thong 35 is laced serially through the registering eyelets 32, 34 to secure together the outer edges of the sheet members l6, I8 and the inner palm piece II. Padding receiving pockets are thus formed between the seams 20, 22 and the secured together edges of the members I 6, It.

It will be observed that the seams 20, 22 are formed immediately inwardly of the padding rolls 24, 26 in order to prevent the padding from spreading inwardly across the central portion of the glove as it is compacted by repeated imside by the converging seams 20, 22 are thus reduced in cross-sectional area, and the-portion of the paddin received within these portions oi the pockets is similarly reducedincross sectional area. The separation of the padding rolls in this manner makes it possible to flex the glove easily along its transverse centeriline; Although the illustrated construction, and the flexibility which may be obtained thereby, is generally considered the most desirable, it will be apparent "that the invention may be equally well employed in other types of construction.

For example, rather than the convergin seams 29, 22 which secure together the members l6, [8, a single seam having a rounded apex could be employed to provide acontinuous padding receiving pocketwhich would then extend from the tip ofthe thumb portion across'the heel of the glove, up the side "thereof, and transversely across the fingerseotion. A single roll of padding, generally U -shaped,

"could then-be inserted into this single pocket. In

the'same manner; the padding roll would be-positioned between the sin le seam and thelaced together outer edges of the members l6, [8 to "retain and'position the padding. At the same time the additional protection to the hand of one wearing the glove which is afiorded by the central'portions of the members would be provided. Similarly, the construction would permit the padding to be quickly and easily replaced by unlacing the bound together edges of the members l6, l8 to'remove the old padding and to insert the replacement padding.

"Referring to Figure 3, it will be seenthat the 'edgesof themembers l5, l8 terminate inwardly of "thebound together edges of the palm piece 10' and the inner palm piece II at the crotch of the glove. The attachment of the mem'bers l6, l8 t'othe inner palm piece Il"along--the-heel of the glove and-the topthereof is 's'ufilcient to maintain these-members in their proper posi- "tion'" between the palm piece It and' the inner palmpiece H. For the-same reason, it isunnecessary to secure the edges of the members l6,

7 18 along-the side of the glove intermediate the "top and the'heel portion thereofjand the-as- "sembling of the glove is thereby facilitated. The'claims of invention thataredesired tobe secured byLetters Patent are set 'forth below:

11 In' abaseb'all glove'h'avin a'hand-receiving portion and thumband finger-seating portions, said thumband finger-seating portions spaced from each other and connected to the hand-receiving portion, a backing piece, two sheet members substantially co-extensive with said backing piece in overlapping relation, the upper of said sheet members havin its peripheral edge abuttingiand detachablysecured -to the peripheral xedge of saidbackin pieceand to the peripheral edge of the lower of said sheet members, said ""two sheet members being secured together inwardly of the said edges by a plurality of seams,

said seams generally converging at the heel of the glove and extehding therefrom across the *glov'etdtheihumband finger-seatin portions, respectively;and thereby defining an outer vu-shaped pocket, "a facing piece secured to the upper sheet adjacent to and spaced from the abutting edges and of smaller dimension than the sheet, a plurality of padding rolls disposed between said sheet'members intermediate said inwardly secured portions of said .members'z'and said abutting edges, whereby said glove may easily be flexed along its transverse axis.

2; In a baseball glove having a hand-receiving portion and thumband finger-seatin wportions,

said thumband finger-seating portions spaced from each other and connected to the :hand-re- 'ceiving portion, a backin piece, two :sheet-members substantially co-extensiveiwithsaid backing piece in overlapping relation, the-upper of said sheet members having its peripheraliedge abutting and detachably' securedtothe'peripheral edgeof. said backin piece and to theperipheral edge of-the-lower of saidsheet members," saidtwo sheet members bein secured together inwardly of the said edges by a-plurality of seams spaced from andhaving at least-one'seam on'each'side 400i the transverse center line of the glove,;said

seams extending iromthe'heel of the glove to the thumband fingers-seating portions respectively, to-thereby define a plurality of pockets, a-afacing piece secured to the :upper sheet: adjacent from andspacedfrom theedges and of smaller dimension than the upper sheet, a'plurality of paddingrolls disposed between said sheet members intermediate: said, inwardly secured portions. of

'said members and said abutting edges," whereby said glove may easily be'flexed along itstrans- :verse axis.

.- References-Cited in. theille of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 450366 Decker Apr..14, I891 1953,11: Hartman MayjlT, 191'0 .962A38 1 June, 28,1910 1' 963,006 TKing .June 28.,1'1910 "1,072,012 King ;"sept.'2,"1'9l3 

